Page 31 of Experimental Voyage
Herserael hooted a laugh and hauled his brethren away from the tempting tree. “It smells delicious.”
“That does not mean any of you get to lick it. Document the smell, gather a sample without licking or touching it, and behave.If you can’t help without licking the botany, you can wait on the ship.” Thus far, we’d had an audience of curious birds ranging from ankle sized to coming up to my waist, with long necks reminding me of swans but with long pointed beaks reminding me of a hummingbird’s. Like the birds on the beach, they found us to be most interesting, and I’d already been cuddled once by one of the larger, braver individuals.
Said bird, with brown feathers streaked with white, waited nearby for me to stand still for more than two seconds. As I needed to keep an eye on the Veloc, I did as the bird liked, remaining in place long enough for it to gather its courage and pounce, rubbing against my legs and rubbing its head against my hip.
Transferring everything to one hand, I petted the bird, which seemed to like the attention.
“Do you think there could be a missed colony of humans on this world?” I asked. “These birds are really too friendly to be wild animals. They act like pets that are used to being petted.”
“I don’t think so,” Herserael replied, and he lowered his head to get to eye level of the bird. I remained the apple of the bird’s eye, and the Veloc cooed. “I think it’s a matter of no predators and no conception of fear. There are no instincts warning these birds predators exist except in the water, and even then, the water doesn’t bother them much. They just stay in the shallows. The fish seems to have been a very hungry and bold denizen of the ocean. So perhaps a bird is killed and eaten from time to time, but it’s infrequent enough they do not have any instincts? There aren’t a lot of mammals that I have seen.”
“I haven’t seen any,” Alban reported. “It’s all birds. Have you seen any reptiles?”
“Not yet. Fish, birds, crustaceans, and limited insects. What an odd ecosystem.”
I frowned and began checking the trees for evidence of rodents, including squirrels, who often left marks on branches and trunks when they weren’t digging holes. I found plenty of evidence of woodpecker-type birds drilling holes into trees and insects inhabiting the trunks, but I couldn’t find any sign of furred animals living in the forest. “How strange. How can there be birds and fish but no mammals?”
“Perhaps there is a danger on the land that is easily evaded with wings?” Alban suggested.
Gersenalt lowered himself to the ground and sniffed at the dirt.
The birds took that as an invitation to cuddle, swarming the Veloc in their determination to receive attention. Cooing and whistling his enjoyment of the situation, Gersenalt complied with their wishes. “Then why are they so comfortable on the ground? Perhaps there are birds of all types that are filling the spots in the food chain that mammals would normally inhabit? There are obviously predators among the birds eating insects and crustaceans. There are likely scavengers that feed off the dead birds. Perhaps there is no need for them to be killed off outside of their normal lifespans due to the ready availability of food? Perhaps a slow reproduction rate?”
I considered the other options. “Or a rapid one, where they reproduce and die off in quick succession. That’s also a possibility. If they’re in a balanced ecosystem with a survival rate matching their death rate, then there’s no need for predators. We’ve heard about the theory of a truly balanced ecosystem, but I’ve never seen one before.”
Alban’s crest snapped up, something I learned meant a sudden or extreme interest in something. “And perhaps that’s why none of the other birds would feed yours. Their lifestyle probably just accepts such things as a reason to die. She no longer plays a part in the balanced ecosystem. And the fish stealing one would not be an issue if it’s just a matter of one individual. That wouldn’t knock anything out of balance. The ocean might be more typical for what we are used to.”
I considered the forest around us, amazed at how something so similar to home could become so alien. “Have we entered heaven or hell?”
“I don’t know,” Herserael answered, and he joined Gersenalt in petting the birds. “But I will say this much. If only our children and all the children of the world could enjoy such a sense of joy of discovery. These birds have zero idea we could kill and eat them. They don’t know what we are, but they know nothing of fear. For that reason alone, I do not know if I want others to discover this world.”
“We could register it as ours, restrict it due to the planet’s unique ecosystems, and forgo the bounty on opening the world for study,” Alban murmured. “We would walk away from a fortune, but we could protect this world and all its wonders.”
There would be no kittens nor foxes in my future without the planetary bounty, but it took only one look at the birds to understand I would have kittens or foxes but a great deal of regret over my choice. “And Waldren?”
“He will understand, although he will be saddened to deal with three months of no space travel until we register the planet and go through the appropriate research to determine its threat level. He would not wish to see this destroyed. We Veloc are predators, yes, but we are also protectors, and this peace is worth protecting.”
Yes, it was.
ELEVEN
Regenerative machines couldn’t fix natural conformity.
The planet consistedof ten major landmasses, all of which shared the same general ecosystem as the first we’d landed on. The shape of the continents implied the planet still grew into its true identity, with the coastlines bearing striking similarities to where it had been one mass and broken apart over time.
The similarity of the species on each of the continents implied the separation hadn’t been long ago.
None of our ventures yielded any evidence of mammals, and by the time we entered orbit to begin our three day quarantine, we’d seen at least fifty different species of birds and been cuddled by them all.
My bird, whom I’d named Squeakers for her tendency to squeak when it was time for her meal, didn’t seem to mind captivity, although she protested her various appointments with the Veloc, who worked on her wings in the hopes of restoring some comfort. None of them knew if she would ever fly, but unlike with me, they doubted she had ever been able to fly at all.
Regenerative machines couldn’t fix natural conformity.
Their machines did help her beak, although they only did enough tests to determine her beak could be regrown. As they did not want to teach Squeakers the meaning of fear, they utilized only painless treatments.
Squeakers simply disliked the cold tools, and we’d conquered those by taking the time to warm them to a temperature she didn’t mind.
On the third day, we introduced Squeakers to Palta. I stood ready to defend my bird from harm, but somehow the Veloc communicated to the cat the bird wasn’t food but family. Rather than try to kill and eat the defenseless bird, the cat settled in, purred, and nuzzled her new friend.
